


Unfortunate Empathy

by Candyoranges



Series: Finding Common Ground [1]
Category: Eureka (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Possibly Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-21 10:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6048400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candyoranges/pseuds/Candyoranges
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack responds a little differently when Stark asks if he's sleeping with Allison.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jack

**Author's Note:**

> I always thought Jack was a pretty empathetic character. So then I started wondering how he, as a recent divorcé, might have responded differently to Nathan and Allison's relationship history - first when finding out they're married, and later during their official divorce. I figure that this early on Jack would be less entrenched in either his infatuation or his rivalry and would more easily be able to take a step back. 
> 
> Who knows, maybe not seeing each other as immediate rivals would make all the difference going into the future?

_“So, you sleeping with her? You said I’d gotten the wrong impression. I assumed you were talking about my wife.”_

Jack sputtered and started to say, “That’s none of your business.” But then he paused, because, well, as long as Allison was still technically Stark’s wife it kind of was Stark’s business. The two might be separated, but their body language when he walked into the room earlier made Jack wonder if there was a reason that neither had ever actually filed for divorce. And clearly, Stark at least wanted it to still be his business.

With a pang, Jack remembered how he had felt when his ex-wife started dating again. He had known things were over between them, and they’d already started planning the divorce, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch her flirting with some other guy _when she was technically still his wife_. Jack didn’t want to think about how he’d have felt if he’d still been trying to make their marriage work. 

Given the looks Stark had been shooting Allison over the last two days, he seemed intent on fixing his marriage. In which case, Jack didn’t really want to be _that guy_ sticking his nose in the middle of everything. 

If Allison no longer wanted to be married to Stark, well, then chances were they’d get divorced sooner or later now that Stark had returned to Eureka, hopefully sooner. Jack could wait and make a move then. He figured trying to date someone who might still be in love her not-quite-ex was probably not the best foundation for a relationship anyway. Having been a rebound too many times, Jack decided to wait for a sign that Allison was actually over Stark (like serving him divorce papers) before trying to see if he himself had a chance with her. In the meantime…

Jack turned back from where his eyes had drifted during his moment of distraction and found Stark with a raised eyebrow and a mocking look on his face. _Ugh._ He really didn’t know what Allison saw in him. Then again, Jack had just seen Stark without his shirt and, well, he could see there were tradeoffs. Nathan Stark was just too damn attractive for his own good. The problem was, he probably knew it too.

Even more flustered by the turn his thoughts had taken, Jack cleared his throat and ran a distracted hand through his hair. He might not like the guy, but Jack had had his unfortunate moment of empathy and felt that he had to tell Stark _something_. 

“Look,” he started awkwardly, “Allison’s an amazing woman, but I kind of have a thing against getting involved with someone who’s still currently married. So, uh, if you came back to Eureka looking to fix things with Allison, don’t worry about me getting in your way.”

Stark had snorted and raised his eyebrow skeptically again, but didn’t seem inclined to immediately respond further, so Jack tried to regain his footing in the conversation. _Yeah, enough indirectly talking about emotions with a virtual stranger._

“Of course if she dumps you, that’ll be a different story.” Jack grinned and watched Stark’s eyes narrow. Then he shrugged and continued before Stark could cut in, “But as long as you guys are still married or working things out, I’ll try to cut back on any major flirting.”

Then, perhaps out of a desire to make Stark as uncomfortable with this conversation as Jack was – or because Jack had just seen those abs – he impishly added, “…with either of you.”

Watching Stark half-choke and accidentally fumble his tie, Jack mentally patted himself on the back before skedaddling out of the room with a wave over his shoulder. He’d made his point and had gotten the last word (or at least he’d run away before Stark could recover and start mocking him). Now he had to focus on his job and track down a ghost. 

Or a _non-corporeal_ something-or-other. 

Jack wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to this crazy town.


	2. Nathan

Nathan quickly regained his composure as he watched the Sheriff bolt out of the room. He mentally scolded himself for being so thrown by Carter’s last comment. Although if he were being honest, he might admit that the whole conversation had thrown him. Nathan was normally never at a loss for words in any conversation.

When Nathan had first seen Allison yesterday, he’d remembered just how beautiful she was. Of course, he could have done without the very nonplussed look on her face. 

He probably should have called sooner. 

He hadn’t though, because he hadn’t wanted to hear her tell him not to come back, and there was no way he was passing up the chance to be director of G.D. again. None of the projects in which he’d been involved over the last year had compared to the research he had had available to him at G.D. Not to mention the newly-transferred artifact that Nathan was desperate to get his hands on. Figuratively, of course. _Probably._

Seeing Allison again though reminded him of the other reason he had come back to Eureka. Nathan was determined to win her back. Sure, they had been having some problems. Allison felt that Nathan cared more for his work than he did for her and Kevin. And Nathan sometimes felt the same way about Allison towards him, especially when their respective positions came into conflict.

Despite all that, they had had something special and Nathan was determined to convince Allie to give their relationship another chance. This time, he would not fail in his marriage.

Nathan was therefore less than pleased when he saw that the new sheriff, unlike his predecessor, was relatively young and attractive with his bright blue eyes and boy-next-door charm. And he was standing far too close to Nathan’s wife.

Carter later interrupted the moment he and Allie were having in the infirmary, even if Nathan had been needing to speak to the Sheriff. So, business concluded, he had decided to have a little fun at Carter’s expense. And maybe simultaneously assuage his own jealousy.

Nathan had tried to convince himself that Carter didn’t really stand a chance with Allison. Her past relationships indicated that Allison obviously preferred intelligent, articulate, confident men – like Nathan. Carter, on the other hand, was noticeably lacking in at least two of those traits. The sheriff might have his boyish grin, but Nathan had three PhDs and a Nobel Prize. Clearly there was no competition. Then again, Allison wouldn’t be the first person to be swayed by a pretty face.

When Nathan had asked if Carter was sleeping with Allison, he wasn’t expecting an affirmative response. In fact he had wanted to obliquely rub Carter’s face in the fact that Carter had never had the opportunity to share Allison’s bed, while Nathan, her _husband_ , most definitely had. 

Nathan had really hoped to receive a negative answer.

Instead, he had received something completely different. Granted, he did get the negative response he was expecting, but he had not anticipated the rest. Maybe he should have taken that as his first clue that Jack Carter was more than he seemed, considering few people truly managed to surprise Nathan Stark.

Carter’s overwhelming morality might fit well with his All-American-boy persona and law enforcement background, but seriously, _what kind of man responds like that?_ Nathan might have been inclined to think that Carter simply wasn’t as interested in Allison as Nathan had thought and wanted to avoid conflict with a future colleague, except Nathan didn’t really believe that. Carter had shown clear signs of interest in Allison and had had no problems mocking Nathan earlier over having seen a _ghost_. 

The problem was that, awkward as Carter had been, he had also been unbelievably earnest. Nathan spared a thought for how Carter’s own marriage may have ended, given his aversion to quasi-adulterous relationships, and then grimaced. 

Or maybe Carter’s ex-wife hadn’t liked that her husband was also apparently attracted to men.

Nathan finally circled back to the line of Carter’s that had thrown him the most. _“…With either of you.”_ Carter had all but winked as he said it. Nathan had certainly not been expecting that from the All-American-boy. Again with Carter managing to _surprise_ him.

Nathan had always considered himself attractive. Certainly, he’d had enough positive reinforcement of that fact over the years, and he took great pains in presenting exactly the image he desired. Nathan privately admitted that he’d purposely left his shirt unbuttoned earlier knowing Allison would be stopping in to see him. If he’d even thought about the possibility of Carter getting an eyeful, Nathan would have considered it simply male posturing to a potential rival. He had not been planning for Carter to ogle him, but that obviously hadn’t stopped Carter from looking. Or apparently liking what he saw.

And now Nathan’s brain couldn’t stop assessing Carter in return. The way he filled out his awful polyester uniform. Those focused blue eyes staring up at him intently …

With a shake of his head, Nathan reminded himself of his plans. He was going to win Allison back and they were going to live the closest approximate pragmatic version of happily ever after. Carter being in Eureka did not affect any of that.

Nathan finished knotting his tie and headed back to work.


End file.
